Press



Oct. 16, 1934., E, c, RAGSDALE 1,977,145

PRESS Filed April 16, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet l v,

Oat 16, 1934. E. c. RAGSDALE PRESS v Filed' April 16, 1952 4 sheets sheet .2

W [Kw/f Oct. 16, 1934. RAGSDALE 1,977,145

IIPRESS Filed April 16, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 .38 i y J5 J7 J9 R Q g kg Elven/077 eta 16,1934 I E. c. RAGSDALE ,97

PRESS Filed April 16., 1932 4 Sheets-wSheet 4 Patented Oct. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE PRESS Elbert Calvin Ragsdale, Decatur, Ill., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to The V. D. Anderson Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 16, 1932, Serial No. 605,621

10 Claims. (01. 100-48) pressure.

The barrel of such an apparatus is conveniently and satisfactorily made up of rigid bars clamped tightly together throughout their length,

the oil or liquid being forced through the narrow spaces between them, leaving the solid constituents of the material, other than foots, within the barrel. The pressures employed are great and a certain amount of solid matter or foot is carried out with the oil or liquid. The barrel in such an apparatus is usually arranged in horizontal position and the liquid'drains ofi into a collecting pan, taking with it most of the solid matter, as foots, from the bottom of the barrel. Some of the solid matter, however, collects upon the upper I half of the barrel and the heat from the high pressure employed tends to bake it in the form of an external cake, which unless constant removal is accomplished interferes with the efiiciency or production of the apparatus.

This invention has for a principal object the prevention of accumulation of solid matter upon the exterior of the barrel of a press of the character described, to the end that continuous operation may occur without loss of efficiency.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of means for preventing accumulation of solid matter or foots upon the barrel of a press which may if desired be provided as supplementary equipment, i. e. an attachment readily iinstalled upon existing equipment and without requiring substantial or difficult reformation or re-arrangement of the parts.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better under- I stood from the following description, which, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure l is a partial vertical central section Tthrough a press in which my invention has been embodied;

Fig. 2 is an end view of such press;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View thereof;

Fig. 4 is a partial side elevation, showing the T barrel cleaning means;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed section, showing the relation of one of the air blasts to the scraper device;

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section through i the barrel;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary similar view, showing the parts in different arrangement; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail of a connection in the driving device for the scraper.

The press shown on the drawings comprises generally a barrel 11 fixed in horizontal position in a frame work 12. This barrel is composed of a plurality of steel bars 13 and 14 extending lengthwise of the barrel and held in two semicircular series positioned in clamping rings 15 and 16, which, when the parts are assembled, are held together to form a shell of substantially circular contour. A shaft 17, driven from any suitable source, extends through the center of the barrel and carries a series of separated worms v 18, separated by spaced collars 18 The material is fed in through a hopper 19 and comes into contact with a feed screw or flight l8 which feeds the material to the worms or other compressing elements. the frame work, the hopper, the driving means, etc., is not believed necessary to a full understanding of the present invention. 7

As the shaft is rotated the oil or other liquid bearing material is continuously conveyed v through the barrel and is delivered into a flaring discharge apron 21 through a constricted throat 22, the amount of constriction of this throat being determined by the position of a cone 23.

In the operation of the apparatus oil is forced 35 outwardly between the bars 13 from one end of the barrel to the other. At the right hand end, namely the feed end, the pressure is relatively low and the liquid content of the material rela tivelyhigh. Little or no solid matter is carried outwardly by the liquid in the early stages of the pressing, i. e. while the material is passing through the right hand part of the barrel. As the pressure increases to express or expel the liquid from the material undergoing treatment, some solid matter or foots is forced out between the bars. Such of this solid matter as is forced out through the lower semi-cylindrical portion of the barrel is washed off and carried away by the liquid, that however which is delivered out through the upper semi-cylindrical portion of the barrel tends to remain upon its outer surface and to obstruct the outward movement of the liquid. This occurs,

of course, at the left hand end more particularly and here the pressure is relatively higher and 5 the barrel becomes highly heated from this pressure, with the resultant tendency to bake or harden the foots.

In order to remove this material after it is deposited, scraping means are provided between 119 The detailed construction of 75 the several clamping rings 16. Each of these scraping means, in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention, consists of two blades 31 and 32 arranged to ride upon the bars 13 over each half of the upper circumference. The blades 31 and 32 consist of straps bent to channel form, the legs 33 of the channels extending up and being fast at 34 to arcuate frame members 35 secured to cross pins 36 which complete the frame of the unit. Four cross pins 36 are pro vided at the tops of the arcuate frame members 35 and constitute gear teeth for engagement by a rack segment 37 secured to and extending down.

from a horizontal shaft 38 mounted in suitable bearings, as at 39, above the clamping rings 16. The shaft 38 is continuously oscillated from. the main shaft 17, as will now be described.

The press, as shown on the drawings, is provided with an upper shaft 41, mounted in bearings 42. This shaft during the continuous operation of the apparatus is an idler shaft and is employed upon occasion to move the cone 23 inwardly to restrict the discharge opening of the press, and thus to cause the worms to effect a greater pressure upon the material within the shell. A

crank arm 43 is arranged upon the extreme end of the shaft 41 (Figs. 1 and 2). A pin 44 extends out from the crank arm 43 into a block 45 arranged in a slideway 46 in a pitman or link 47, in turn connected at 4:8 with an arm 49 fixed upon a shaft 51 arranged along the front of the apparatus in bearings 52. Springs 53 are arranged in the slideway to cushion the action in the power delivery. The shaft 51 is provided with a universal joint 54 intermediate its ends and extends to the right (viewing Fig. 3) to opposite the left hand end of the shaft 38. Arms 55 and 56 are mounted respectively upon shafts 51 and 38, and

these are connected by a link 57 so that the shaftv 38 is continuously rocked as the screw 1-8 rotates. Rocking of the shaft 38 causes rockingof the rack segments 37, which in turn cause the scraper blades 31 and 32 to oscillate over the bars 13 at the top of the barrel. These scrapers thus continuously scrape the solid matter from the surface of the drum.

The shaft 38 is preferably hollow and compressed air is introduced into it asmay be desired through a flexible delivery duct 58. A delivery nozzle 59 extends down adjacent each segment to deliver the compressed air in a blast over and about the scraper blades 31 as the parts swing. These nozzles with their supply conduits constitute means for cleaning the scrapers themselves, and the blast blows the solid matter from them as they scrape it from the drum.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted the hopper 19 to undergo treatment therein, is,

subjected to increasingly heavy pressure as it is forced along the length of the shell, the oil being forced out of the material to a great extent and passing outwardly between the narrowly spaced bars which form the shell, carrying with it very fine solids, such as foots, in suspension therein;

While the main body of the-charge from which the oil has been removed by the mechanical action of the :press, passes outwardly as a relatively dry cake over the cone 23. The scrapers, therefore, act to remove the foots or othersolid material which is carried to the exterior of the shell 'by the expressed 'oil, and which, were it not for the presence of the scrapers, would tend to settle upon the exterior of the "shell and to becomeox-idiz'ed or burned thereon; thus cutting down the effi-1 the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without department from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim: i

1. In a press, the combination of a barrel, comprising bars arranged in closely adjacent relationship with openings therebetween for the outward passage of liquid forced from liquid bearing material pressed within the barrel, a scraper mounted upon andreciprocating over the upper portion of said barrel for removing solid matter deposited by said liquid, and an air blast device for cleaning said scraper.

2. In a press, the combination of a barrel composed of bars so disposed as to leave drainage openings therebetween, an oscillating shaft mounted above said barrel, a scraper riding on the upper part of the barrel, connections between said shaft and said scraper for reciprocating the scraper over the barrel, and an air blast device for cleaning said scraper. 1m

3. In a press, the combination of a barrel composed of bars so disposed as to leave drainage openings therebetween, an oscillating shaft mounted above said barrel, a scraper riding on the upper part of the barrel, connections between 5 said shaft and said scraper for reciprocati'r'ig the scraper over the barrel, and an air blast device for cleaning said scraper, said air blast receiving air through said shaft.

4. In a press, the combination of a Thar-rel 1m through which liqu'idbearing material may be passed, means within the barrel for pressing the liquid from the liquid bearing material and foreing said liquid with the fine solid matter carried thereby outwardly through openings formed in 35 the barrel, a cleaner slidable over the barrel to remove solid matter deposited thereon from the liquid passing therethrough, and a rocker member for reciprocating said cleaner.

5. In a press, the combination of a barrel m through which liquid bearing material may be passed, means within the barrel for pressing the liquid from the liquid bearing material and forcing it radially outwardly through the barrel, a cleaner for removing solid matter deposited upon the barrel from liquid passing through the barrel,

a device for removing solid matter from said cleaner, and means for imparting movement to said cleaner relative to said barrel and movement to said cleanerpand said device relative to each no 0 her.

6. In combination with a press mechanism of the type having a barrel composed of spaced longitudinally extending bars and pressure means within the barrel, of drive means for said pres- 154:5 sure means, an arcuate rack bar, a plurality 'of scrapers connected-to said bar, 'sa'id scrapers ex tending along the outer portion of said rbairel and :being adapted to reciprocate with said rack bar to scrape material from said barrel, and lm means operatively connected to said drive means for reciprocating said rack bar.

7. In a press, the combination of a barrel composed of bars disposed in pressure resisting relation, an oscillating shaft mounted adjacent said barrel, a scraper riding on the outer surface of the barrel, connections between said shaft and. said scraper for reciprocating the scraper over the barrel, and an air blast device for cleaning said scraper.

8. In a press, the combination of a barrel composed of bars disposed in pressure resisting relation, an oscillating shaft mounted adjacent said barrel, a scraper riding on the outer surface of the barrel, connections between said shaft and said scraper for reciprocating the scraper over the barrel, and an air blast device for cleaning said scraper, said air blast receiving air through said shaft.

9. In a press, the combination of an annular barrel having small openings in the walls thereof; means located within the barrel for exerting pressure upon material fed into one end of the barrel and forcing oil or other liquid content from the material and outwardly through the openings in the barrel; means located at the discharge end of the barrel for regulating the outward passage of the material which has been compressed and from which the oil or other liquid has been removed in part at least by the pressure action obtaining within the barrel; a scraper contacting and movable over the outer face of the barrel to remove any solid matter or foots which may be carried outwardly by the oil or other liquid and deposited thereon; and means for actuating said scraper.

10. In a press, the combination of a barrel having small openings extending through the wall thereof; means Within the barrel for pressing liquid bearing material and forcing the liquid in part at least from said material outwardly through said openings; at least one scraper contacting the outer surface of the barrel for removing solid matter deposited thereon by the liquid passing outwardly through said openings; means for imparting movement to said scraper relative to said barrel; and means for cleaning the scraper, said means also acting to remove material from the barrel which is loosened by the scraper.

ELBERT CALVIN RAGSDALE. 

